Bethany's Oyster File Broth

Bethany Bultman's recipe for Wardell's birthday party comes from her grandmother's family in St. Mary Parish. "As a child we always had it as a first course at Sunday dinner during Lent, " she wrote.

In batches, Bultman toasts whole-wheat flour to a light caramel color, using a cast-iron skillet in the oven at 350 degrees while she cooks something else. She keeps an eye on the flour and stirs it occasionally, and knows it's done when it has a nice aroma. She keeps it in a jar in the freezer to add a nutty taste to all sauces; the flavor allows for the amount of fat to be reduced.

Makes 6 to 8 cups

3 green onions

1 rib celery

1 shallot

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons browned whole-wheat flour

4 cups oyster liquor

Hot sauce to taste

1 dozen oysters

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Dash file' powder

Finely chop the green onions, celery, shallot and garlic by hand or in a food processor. Sauté until soft in olive oil.

Add in browned floor* and mix well.

In a saucepan, poach the oysters in oyster liquor, heating gently until the the edges curl. Chop the oysters in pea-sized morsels.

In a separate pan, warm the oyster liquor and slowly add it into the vegetable mixture until it thickens. Heat gently. Add hot sauce to taste. Serve right away; sprinkle with file' powder just before serving. Be careful not to cook the file' as it will become slimy.